The Imprisoning War
by xOptimusLimex
Summary: Takes place within the Downfall Timeline, several hundred years before A Link to the Past. A chronicle of what may have happened before and during the events of The Imprisoning War.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

**Hello everyone! Welcome to my first story ever! I'm looking to improve my writing skills so, I would greatly appreciate it if you left a review. If not, that's okay too. I really hope you all enjoy this. There'll be a new chapter each week so stay tuned! With all that out of the way, let's get to the story!**

Lightning crackled across the sky, followed by a booming sound of thunder. Heavy rains followed soon after. Hyrule never had storms this strong. At least not since The King of Evil was sealed away, many years ago. The occasional storms that the land received followed a common pattern. No one ever saw strikes of lightning, they only heard soft rumbles of thunder in the distance. Rains were always very light and soothing. Mothers across the land found this to be the most suitable time to rock their newborns to sleep. But tonight was different. The storm was unusually violent. It was almost as if the goddesses themselves were unleashing their wrath upon the land. No one had seen a storm quite like this in a long time.

"It's raining awfully hard outside, don't you think?"

The woman's voice was soft. Delicate. It made you feel as though you couldn't talk too terribly loud around her or else she might disappear.

Mael looked at her husband. He usually answered her right away when she spoke to him. She waited for a few moments, but no answer came. Something was different about him tonight.

Gonzo was a young, strapping man in his early twenties. He had dark black hair, brown eyes, and long pointed ears. There wasn't anything special looking about him. No birthmarks, scars, nothing that would stick out to anyone walking in Castle Town. He looked like any other Hylian. Most considered him a good man. He wasn't a heavy drinker, and he did right to those in his life.

Mael was delicate, but full of life. She had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and of course, the long pointed ears. Everyone that had met her thought she was the most beautiful woman in Hyrule. She had many suitors before Gonzo, yet he was really the only one who stood out to her. She wasn't quite sure what made him stick out among the others. Maybe it was how he wasn't like all these other men, who just spoke words without any meaning. His words were not fake. They had met at a festival in their village while they were still teenagers, Gonzo being seventeen and Mael sixteen. Things slowly fell in place after that.

They had gotten married just two weeks before tonight. Mael had always said how much she "adored Lake Hylia" and so Gonzo had it arranged for their wedding to be there. It was a very beautiful wedding. The day was bright and sunny, and like Mael, full of life. One might have considered it the "perfect" weather. The great lake itself glistened under the sun, its waves softly hitting the sandy shore. Family on both sides came from all over the land to see the marriage. When Mael had heard how many people had shown up, she nearly fainted! That may or may not have been due to how tight her wedding dress had been, though. When the young bride finally began her walk down the aisle, you could hear everyone gasp in awe at how elegant she was. She gracefully made her way down, her white dress sliding behind her. When Gonzo caught his first glimpse of her, he too was in awe, along with the rest of the people. She stole his breath, utterly. He had never seen anyone so breathtaking in his life.

Once you reached the age of twenty-one in Hyrule, men were required by law to serve two to three years in the Knights of Hyrule. Gonzo, having just come of age, was to leave tomorrow. He did not seem very upset, nor very happy. But Mael knew something was different.

"Aren't you scared?" Mael finally asked, although she hesitated. Gonzo did not give an answer for awhile. Then finally he spoke.

"I don't know."

Gonzo did not know what else to say besides this. Something was eating at him.

"What?"

"I just don't know."

"Aren't you afraid to leave everything you've known? To leave me here all alone to go up and sleep with fifty other men that you don't even know?" Mael said, starting to get upset. She didn't understand why he had said what he did.

"You'll have to be in those cramped barracks! And it certainly won't smell too good in there either."

Gonzo had often thought about how he would feel when this time came. He had not accounted for the fact the he might have a wife when the time came to leave. He realized that he had to leave his beautiful Mael, to go sleep in close quarters with a group of hard ass men whom he didn't even know. It would be cramped and probably wouldn't smell the greatest. Just as she had pointed out. Although the sleeping around men part did not bother him too much. Gonzo was used to being around smelly men.

Gonzo, of course, did not want to leave Mael. But he knew she would be well taken care of. Both of their families lived in this village, so he had no need to worry. What really ate at him, was the fact that this situation didn't bother him like it did Mael. He felt that he owed her to feel at least some kind of emotion.

"Gonzo, if you're scared or angry, it's okay! You don't have to hide it. I know you men think that you have to be big and tough all the time, but you don't have to! You don't have to keep your guard up for my sake!"

Gonzo rubbed his face with his hands. He honestly wasn't scared, angry, happy, sad, or anything. It was almost as if he didn't care. He did, to an extent, but the fact was that it didn't bother him like it did Mael.

Gonzo looked up at the wooden ceiling for a moment. He slowly traced over it with his eyes. He noticed the pattern that had been eroded into the wood before this house had been built. Tracing patterns into the trees was a popular pass-time for the children of Kakariko Village. This wood had not escaped the children's reach before it was cut down and sent to the lumber mill.

The rain was still coming down hard. It beat upon the roof, like a drummer beats upon his drum. This did nothing to lighten the tense mood.

Gonzo returned his attention to Mael.

"Mael, you know I wouldn't hide anything from you." Gonzo said. He didn't know how to comfort her. He wasn't good with affection. He loved Mael, very much so. But he had never found a way to truly express his affection for her.

"Then what's wrong? Why are you acting like this?"

No answer.

"Do you just not care at all? Mael said, her soft-hearted voice slightly cracking.

This cut Gonzo deep. He didn't want to hurt her. It was the last thing he wanted.

"That's what it is isn't it?"

The rain suddenly stopped.

"Mael, please it's not like what you thi-"

"Then what is it then?"

Gonzo didn't know what to say.  
"You don't care. You almost seem happy to leave."

"It's not like I want to leave you! It's not like that at all!"

"You just want to get away, so you can do whatever you want when you get to the capital. You'll get away and forget about me an-"

"Mael!"

Gonzo stopped her right there. He looked Mael straight in her blue eyes.

"You know I would _**never **_do anything like that. _**Ever.**_" Gonzo said sternly. He had never spoken like this to her before. This was a tone he had reserved for when his anger was about to overtake him.

Mael looked back at Gonzo. She was about to cry. He knew exactly how she looked right before she was about to cry. He knew she said things she didn't mean when she was upset, but knowing that didn't make it any less hard.

The fireplace was growing weaker. The flames had been dancing for quite some time now, but their rhythm had taken a slower pace, as if the flames were performers in an orchestra and their conductor had changed tempo. Gonzo would have normally put more firewood in by now.

"I don't want to lose you, Gonzo. What if you never come back from that wretched Castle Town? What if you die in some kind of battle, far away from here? What am I supposed to do then?"

The tears finally burst forth. Gonzo hated to see her cry. It was as if the whole world cried with her when she was like this. She would throw her face into her hands and her body would shake ever so slightly with each sob that escaped her.

Gonzo went over to Mael and held her close to him, her head resting on his chest as she cried. It was almost as if she was mourning for someone who had died.

"I'm going to come back. I will, I promise. If it's the last thing I do."

The rain began again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: Hello everyone, and welcome to the second chapter! I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter and all that jazz. I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well. Some big things happen within this chapter. With that, let's get on with the story!**

All across Castle Town, families huddled around their fireplaces. The streets were quiet and empty. Deep within Hyrule Castle, the King sat upon his grand throne. Having just finished a meeting with his public relations minister, he was quite exhausted. It had been another long day for His Majesty. Several of the townspeople were quite unhappy about the tax increase that had just went into effect.

"If only you could please everyone..." the King mumbled to himself.

The aristocrats of the city were unhappy with the current amount of guards placed around the city, especially within their district. They had put together a petition demanding more security. The King, of course, had to appease them for they provided most of the gold for the kingdom's coffers. This was the reason for the tax increase.

_"Those damned rich-folk always have something to complain about. I can't get away from them!" _

The King was starting to show his age. Ten years ago, when he had taken the crown, he did not look forty-seven years old. The women of the court had once even considered him handsome for his age. But now at fifty-seven, he had not aged well. His face was showing signs of wrinkles and he had heavy bags under his hazel eyes. Constantly keeping the populace happy within and outside the city, was not an easy job. Unfortunately, nothing about being king was easy.

To add even more stress to the King, were recent issues dealing with the Triforce. Thieves from across Hyrule had been trying to infiltrate the Sacred Realm, to steal its great power for themselves. Many thieves had found their way in at first and of course, the Royal Family panicked. But when none of the thieves returned, they rejoiced. The King saw his opportunity. Soon he had a permanent guard placed to defend from anyone else sneaking their way in or back out, for that matter. These men were taken from the best of the Knights of Hyrule and were split into three special units. They were called The Knights of Power, The Knights of Wisdom, and The Knights of Courage. His Majesty had assumed his troubles were over.

The King was about to retire to his chambers when he was stopped by a high, irritating voice.

_"Oh goddesses. What could it possibly be now?"_

"My lord, please wait! Something urgent has come up!"

It was his Defense Minister, Naroh. He was quite short with a small moustache and thick spectacles. He spoke in a tone that, quite frankly, the King found very obnoxious.

"Yes, carry on Naroh. What is it this time? I'm quite exhausted so if you wouldn't

mind-"

"Something terrible has happened! The Knights of Power...they've...they've betrayed us! They've journeyed into the Sacred Realm!"

A pause.

**"**_**What?**_**" **the King enunciated the "_t" _quite harshly in his surprised.

That was the last thing he had expected Naroh to say. Usually it had something to do with the stalchildren wandering around the outside gates of Castle Town or His Majesty "forgetting" to sign a document that Naroh "urgently" needed. It was quite unusual for him to report something so serious. The King was troubled.

"_What in the name of Din could have possibly caused them to do this?"___the King thought to himself.

Naroh continued with his message.

"I just now received the report from their messenger. I can't quite believe it myself either, sire."

"Did they not try to stop them?!" the King said. He was angry now. He was angry at himself for having appointed Aleph commander of the Knights of Power.

_"Damn that Aleph!"  
_ Aleph was what one might consider "arrogant", "cocky", "rude", etc. The King's first impression of Aleph was not a particularly good one, but he had proven himself a great leader on the battlefield. This had won him his spot as the Power unit's commander.

"The other two unit's commanders explained in this letter what exactly happened. This is what it says."

_"We had all just awoken for the day. The Wisdom and Courage units shared breakfast together that morning. We had noticed that Aleph and his men were not in the mess hall with us, but we thought nothing of it. We just assumed that they had gotten up earlier than us. Aleph was always strict on his men, after all."_

Naroh stopped reading the letter for a moment, to let the King absorb all this new information.

After the slight pause, he continued reading, _"Once we had finished our morning meal, we went outside. As soon as we went out, we were ambushed by the Power unit. We had no time to react. Twenty men were killed in the skirmish and the rest were left unconscious. Several of our men reported that when they had woken up, they felt unusually dreary. Magic was most definitely involved in the ambush."_

The King did not say anything right away. He was still dumbfounded. How could these men, ones that were supposedly among the most trustworthy, just turn on the kingdom like this?

"I want an investigation carried out _**immediately**_." the King said.

"Right away, sire. It shall be done!"

Naroh scurried off to make preparations. The King continued on to his chambers. He lied down in his bed, but he knew he would not be getting any sleep tonight.

_ "This is not good. Not good at all." _


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone, welcome to the third chapter! As you may have noticed back in Chapter one, I said I would be posting weekly. Well, I've already been posting more than weekly, so I'm just gonna keep at however much I feel like posting a week. So yeah. If you've been reading so far, I really appreciate it, and don't forget to leave a review if you liked or disliked it!**

Gonzo awoke early the next morning to prepare for the journey to Castle Town. It wasn't a terribly far trek to Castle Town, as you could get there by sundown with possibly one stop along the way. Gonzo made a checklist within his head to make sure he had everything he needed for the trip ahead. Mael had not yet awoken.

Gonzo decided he would cook breakfast. Normally Mael would have been in the kitchen at this time, but judging from the events of the night before, she was most likely exhausted. Luckily Gonzo knew how to cook. Or at least he thought he could.

_"I think I've watched Mael do this enough. This should be no problem."_

He gathered some cucco eggs from the storeroom and began cooking them over the fireplace.

"What are you doing up this early, Gonzo?"

Mael had finally woken up.

"I had to make sure I had everything I needed for the trip today. I thought I might cook us a nice breakfast as well. Did you sleep well, dear?"

Mael did not answer. Instead she walked over to Gonzo and took the frying pan from him.

"You burnt the eggs." Mael said.

_"Damn."_

Mael was obviously still quite upset from the night before. Gonzo knew there was no talking to her while she was like this. He went outside into the fresh morning air.

Mael started her morning routine in the kitchen. She had quickly developed this routine in only the two weeks that they had been living together. This surprised Gonzo, but he did not complain. Mael had been taught everything that a normal Hylian housewife should know.

_"Cooking, cleaning, bearing childr-"  
_Gonzo quickly shook this thought from his mind.

_"I shouldn't be thinking about these things at a time like this. What am I doing?"_

After breakfast was finished, Gonzo went to meet with the other men that he would be travelling with. He knew most of the men that were going, considering Kakariko Village was fairly close knit.

"Hoy there Gonzo!" a familiar voice rang out.

_ "Senza..."_

Gonzo had known Senza since they were children. They had been best friends up until Gonzo met Mael. Gonzo then had slowly stopped spending as much time with him and instead began spending more time with Mael. Eventually he stopped talking to Senza. He deeply regretted this fact, but it seemed to have no effect on his best friend.

"Why does he always have to act like everything's alright?" Gonzo muttered under his breath. "Is it some way of covering up his true feelings?"

Once Gonzo had approached the travelling party, Senza walked up to him.

"Today's the big day isn't it, bro?" Senza said. He was awfully cheerful for something like this. Senza had always hated any kind of work. All he had ever wanted to do was goof off.

"I suppose it is." Gonzo replied quite dully.

"Aw come on man, get excited for once! Think, have you ever really gotten excited about anything in your life?"

Gonzo thought back to his wedding day. Oh how many nights he had suffered through, for he could not sleep because the thought his wedding was so exhilarating!

"Why of course I have! What normal human being hasn't gotten excited for anything before?" He was not in the mood for Senza's remarks today.

"Well whatever man. I think this is gonna be a good thing!" Senza said.

"Mael doesn't think so."

"Has she been giving you trouble about it?"

"I wouldn't call it that. She's just really upset about the whole thing."

"Don't worry so much about it bro! Women are all sentimental and emotional. You can't let that stuff weigh you down! We men gotta be tough, ya know!" Senza said, cracking a big smile.

_"Geeez. Why is he giving me advice?"_

But then Gonzo remembered that they were close at one time.

About half an hour passed before the convoy was ready to go. Mael came to see Gonzo off.

"Well I guess this is goodbye. For now." Gonzo said. He stared into her big, bright, blue eyes. Oh how he would miss them.

"Yes, I suppose it is." Mael said. Her voice cracked a little. She had tried to prepare herself for this moment.

Several moments passed before anything was said again.

"I'm going to come back alive. I promise." Gonzo said.

"I know."

Gonzo leaned in and kissed her. He tried to savor the moment, for he knew it would be a long time before he would taste her sweet lips again.

He leaned back up. He smiled at Mael. She tried to force a smile back, but there were tears in her eyes. It took all she had in her to control herself.

"Hoy! We'll be departing for Castle Town here shortly! If you are travelling with us, please get with your assigned group."

Gonzo finally parted with Mael. Once Gonzo had met with his group, a few more minutes passed. Then suddenly, all the carriages started moving forward. Gonzo adjusted himself to get as comfortable as possible. It would be a long while till sunset. As the caravan reached the edge of the village, Gonzo looked back. Mael was still watching.

Gonzo had never been to Castle Town. He wasn't quite sure what to expect. He had heard stories of its great town market and how the shopkeepers would bargain with you. He had heard of the dogs that scampered around the fountain. The dogs were supposed to be quite friendly, he remembered one villager's remark. At night, though, the town was dead. The towns people's migration back home began around sundown. After that, no one left their homes. No one really knew why this was, but it was most likely a tradition passed down through the generations. A weird tradition yes, but one nonetheless.

As they journeyed through the great field of Hyrule, Gonzo noticed something quite peculiar. In a tree, there was an owl with its head twisted in an strange fashion.

_"How odd." _Gonzo thought to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

The convoy reached Castle Town just a little after sundown. The night air was cool, for winter was on its way. The moon shone brightly tonight as well. For some reason, there were no stalchildren in sight. This was unusual. Gonzo had always heard stories of the stalchildren who wondered the great Hyrule field.

Once the carriages reached the gate, the man in charge, Balliard, called out to the guards to let them know who they were.

"Hoy there! We hail from Kakariko Village. We've brought a group of young men to serve out their term in the Knights of Hyrule."

One of the guards whispered to whom looked like the captain. The captain nodded and then called out "Aye, we received word that you would be arriving. You may pass." The guards opened the gate. The gate was obviously very old, for it creaked as it made way for the convoy. Balliard thanked the captain and they continued forth into the city.

It was just as Gonzo had always heard. The streets were indeed empty at night. The only thing he could hear was the sound of the carriages and the occasional bark of a dog. He would have to wait to find out how the city really was tomorrow.

The convoy finally reached its destination about half an hour after they first entered the city. The carriage drivers were led to their designated spot. The first thing Gonzo noticed was how many people were here. They were all here for the same reason he was. This of course, was no surprise to him. Hyrule did have a big population, after all.

Suddenly a soldier whom looked very important, walked out from the barracks with about four or five bodyguards behind him. Their armored boots clanked loudly as they walked. The man had on silver plated armor with a crimson cape flowing from his back. His beard was black with signs of graying and he also had a coarse scar going down his left eye. He looked as if he had seen many a battle in his day.

The men all came to a sudden halt in the middle of the square.

"Hello and welcome to the great Castle Town! I am General Rolh, the grand commander of the Knights of Hyrule. You brave young men are about to experience what every true Hylian man has experienced for the past few centuries."

The whole square remained silent.

"You must all realize that this is a great honor and privilege, to serve in our great army. It is perhaps considered the greatest honor ever!"

Still not a word was said.

"There is no better way to show loyalty to your king, than to protect him with your life."

Suddenly a terrible scream broke out from among the crowd. The next thing Gonzo knew, a man was being carried away to. The crowd erupted into a commotion, each person trying to find out what had just happened.

"Gonzo, what the hell just happened?"

Senza had made his way up to Gonzo without him even noticing.

"I have no idea, but it didn't sound good at all."  
The general continued his speech.

" The next two months will be solely dedicated to your training. You must all learn the ways of the Knights of Hyrule. This way, you will all be beneficial to the kingdom. Now then, with that said, I wish you all good luck in your trials to come. May the goddesses show their favor upon you all."

After finishing his speech, General Rolh walked back from where he had came, along with his bodyguards. Before they were escorted to the barracks, Balliard caught Gonzo and Senza.

"Gonzo, Senza, you take care of yourselves in there. It's not gonna be easy. This will probably be the hardest thing you've ever done in your lives."

"Thanks Balliard, we'll try our best." Gonzo said.

Balliard began walking back to the carriages, but Gonzo stopped him.

"Balliard! Make sure Mael is well taken care of. Please."

"Of course, Gonzo. You know we'll all make sure she's treated well. You can count on us."

"Thanks Balliard. It means a lot."

Balliard and the rest of the convoy were going to stay overnight and get some rest before they went back to Kakariko Village. They needed rest after today's trip.

As they descended into the barracks, the putrid smell of body odor hit Gonzo's nose. _"Mael was right..." _Gonzo thought to himself. They were each assigned to a bunk. Senza was assigned to the bed above Gonzo.

"Isn't this cool Gonzo?" Senza said. "We can have late night conversations when we can't sleep bro!"

"Senza, I can guarantee you that I'm going to be trying to get as much sleep as possible. It's like Balliard said, this isn't going to be easy. We need to try our best to keep ourselves prepared for everything, and that includes getting enough sleep."

"Aw come on, try to look at this whole thing more positively."

"I'm looking at this realistically. It's **not** going to be easy. No matter what way you put it. You should take this more seriously."

Gonzo heard Senza sigh heavily. He usually always had to say something back, but surprisingly he said nothing more.

"Hey, have you guys heard?" called out one of the men in the room.

"Heard what?" another called out.

"Apparently that guy they carried away tried to stab himself!"

"What?! You're kidding!"

"No way!"

The barracks bursted into to chatter all at once. Someone tried to kill himself? But why on earth would anyone do that? Surely joining the Knights of Hyrule wasn't worth taking your life over!

"Did you hear that Gonzo?" Senza said.

"Yeah." Gonzo said.

_"Why would he try to kill himself? It was obvious he was trying to escape becoming a knight." _Gonzo could not come to a conclusion as to why this had happened. It made him uneasy.

"What do you really think awaits us?" Senza asked Gonzo.

Gonzo did not reply.


	5. Chapter 5

"How _**dare**_ you hide this from us! You have put this kingdom in more danger than it already was by doing so!"

The King sat across from the Seven Sages. They had summoned him to discuss matters of the kingdom with him. Or so he had thought. He had not wanted to tell the Sages of the recent "issue" that had come up, but they had found out on their own.

The current Sage that was speaking was bald, but had a long snowy beard. His deep blue eyes stuck out amongst his features.

"Why did you decide not to tell us of what had happened? You think you have some 'royal right' to hide things from us? You know we would have found out eventually. Yet you tried to hide it and now you have made yourself out to look like a fool."

The King could not think of anything to reply with. He knew what he had done was wrong. But he was too prideful to admit so out loud.

"Maybe one day you will be able to make the decisions of a true king instead of making decisions based off of your wants and desires. Decisions that will benefit others, not just yourself."  
If anyone other than one of the Seven Sages had said this to His Majesty, they would have been severely punished. But the Seven Sages were technically of royal blood as well and have protected Hyrule for centuries. Therefore, they had a right to put him in his place.

"I suppose you have chosen to ignore what we said about Aleph, as well." said the wise man.

The King's gut wrenched at his words. He remembered what they had said at their last meeting.

"Aleph has a great lust for power inside of him. If he were to come to a position like that, it would put the kingdom in great peril." Of course, he had ignored their words.

His Majesty had not felt the same way about Aleph. Sure, he was arrogant, but a megalomaniac? _"There's no way. He's just strong-willed. That's all." _he had thought to himself.

But he had been terribly wrong. The fate of Hyrule was now at risk. So many lives were in his hands. This troubled him. He had failed his duty as the ruler of this kingdom.

"It seems you have forgotten the legend of the fallen hero, as well." said another Sage. This one had a medium-sized beard, with small spectacles.

The King broke out into a cold sweat.

"Do you not recall where Ganondorf was sealed by our ancestors?"

"You can't mean..." the King could not finish his sentence. He couldn't believe he had overlooked this.

The ancient tale came back to him all at once. He had heard it many times as a child, but had forgotten over the years.

"Yes, the King of Evil was sealed within the Sacred Realm. The reason those thieves never returned was because of _**him**_."

"No...it couldn't possibly..."

"I see you now truly realize the implications of your actions. You went against our wisdom and now you and the kingdom will suffer whatever consequences it may bring." the first Sage said.

"You should have known to treat matters of the Sacred Realm with the utmost importance."

"What do you all suggest I do?"

"The only thing you can do is pray to the three great goddesses. They might decided to have mercy upon you and this great land."

And with that, the meeting came to an end.

His Majesty stayed in the meeting room long after the Sages had left. He reflected on everything that had happened. _"How could I have been so careless? I've... I've let my people down..."_

He had never liked being advised as to how to rule his kingdom. He felt as the undisputed king of Hyrule, that he shouldn't have to listen to anyone else. The aristocrats were really the only ones who could get him to do anything and this was only because of their money.

The King had just assumed that the thief incident was just a passing issue. He had chosen to ignore it after he placed the new guard units, but this had turned out to be far bigger than he had anticipated. He had to be prepared for the worst.

"Sire!"

Naroh suddenly came busting through the doors. "We have finished our investigation!" his high-pitched voice sounded more excruciating than normal right now.

"And? If you've come here without anything substantial, it _**will**_not be good." the King replied.

"Not to worry, sire! Apparently, there were several soldiers within the Knights of Power who had chosen not to join Aleph."  
"What? He left some behind? About how many?"

"Only five. Not that many at all, but they told us quite a bit of information. Apparently, Aleph had been planning this whole thing for a long time. He had always been hard on his men, but in the months leading up to yesterday, he got more..."insane" is how they put it, I believe. He was trying to train them for something."

Far off within the Sacred Realm, another kind of meeting was taking place.

"I am glad that you decided to accept my offer." said a voice. It was deep and sounded of power and authority.

"Yes of course, my lord. My men and I are at readily at your service. What is your plan, if I may ask?"  
"I plan to make a return to Hyrule and claim it for my own again, as it once was my kingdom before those cursed Sages sealed me away. I will of course, compensate you greatly if you still wish to aid me in my conquest. Your men would be a most beneficial addition to my army."

"It would be quite an honor to serve you, my lord." Aleph said as he smirked. _"At last, I will finally have true power." _

"Splendid. I am pleased that you will be joining me." said the booming voice.

"Thank you for considering me worthy of your cause, _**King Ganondorf."**_


	6. Chapter 6

The next two months went by slowly for Gonzo. The Knights of Hyrule had training everyday which was quite demanding. It would start very early in the morning and end late in the evening. The breakfast was served every morning was awful, or at least Gonzo thought so. Then again, he was used to Mael's great cooking skills. Once breakfast was over, they would go out for morning drill. This would consist of many various different physical exercises and there were many men who could not handle them. Senza was one of them. Every day, there ended up being several men who vomited or passed out. Unfortunately, some never adapted. These men were sent back home. Gonzo thought it was very embarrassing for them to have to return home and explain to their family that they were too weak.

Gonzo wrote Mael letters as often as he could. She wrote him back, of course. He told her of his struggles and she would write back with her worries. Communication with his beloved wife helped Gonzo through his hardships at the barracks. He could not help but think of how crazy he would've gone if he hadn't had any contact with her. He told her of how it had in fact, smelled terrible and how cramped the barracks were. Mael giggled to herself as she read those words.

Two months went by like this, but finally the day came.

The Knights of Hyrule always had a special ceremony for inducting new knights. Family though, was not allowed to attend for whatever reason. Gonzo found this odd, but he did not question it anymore beyond that. On the day of the ceremony, the soon-to-be knights gathered in the Great Hall of Hyrule Castle.

"This is amazing, Gonzo! Just look at this place! I can't believe how beautiful it is." Senza said.

Gonzo did not reply, as he was deep in thought. Even after all this time, he still wasn't quite sure how he felt about all of this.

Hyrule Castle was the grandest piece of architecture in all of the land. Made of cobblestone, it had long, pointed steeples that stretched far up into the heavens. Some could try and imagine what the castle would be like, but nothing they could think of could ever prepare them for its beauty.

Several minutes later, the King entered the Great Hall and the men were all brought to attention. General Rolh quickly entered behind him.

"Hello to all of you brave men! This is the day I spoke of two months ago, when you were all smooth faced and unfit to serve. But now we are at the end of this difficult road and all of you are now ready to serve as Knights of Hyrule!"

A booming cheer rang out from the crowd. General Rolh had begun his speech, quite powerfully.

General Rolh seemed quite used to giving great speeches. He probably didn't even have to practice them anymore.

"I'm sure you are all quite nervous as well, but that is only natural! Be comforted in the fact of what you are about to become, for many did not make it as far you brave men."

General Rolh continued his speech and once he was finished, the King came forth to speak.

"Greetings, great men of Hyrule. There's not really much to add to what has already been said. No one can quite give a speech like Rolh can", said the King with a grin. It one of the few times he had smiled in awhile. The crowd smiled along with him.

"But I must warn you all. You all will most likely face dangers that no knight has seen before. There a dark times ahead of us, but I know you all will face these threats will great valor and honor."

_"Dark times ahead of us? What could he possibly mean by that?" _Gonzo thought to himself.

"I'm sure you all are getting quite restless of our boring speeches, so why don't we just get on with what we are here to do?"

"Men, rise!" General Rolh shouted.

"You should all feel proud of yourselves for having made it this far. It has been a hard road, but be proud, for your time is now here! As king of this great land, I knight you all, Knights of Hyrule!"

The booming cheer resurrected and continued on for a few moments.

The time was finally here, but Gonzo _**still **_could not feel good about it.

_"What did he mean?! 'Dark times'? Is something bad going to happen to the kingdom?" _The King's words has turned Gonzo's indecisiveness into deep worry.

A great feast ensued and went late into the night. There was much drinking and many laughs shared among the men.

"If only we had a few women here! Then it would be a real party!" Senza shouted as he took another swig from his beer. Several men heartedly vocalized their agreement with him.

Gonzo sat by himself for a good while, taking drinks from his beer every few moments. He continued thinking to himself about what the King had said, but he could not come to any definite conclusions.

"What're you doing over there all by yourself, Gonzo. This isn't a time to be moping around!" Senza said in a drunken slur, as he grabbed Gonzo and pulled him over to his table.

Finally, the great celebration ended within the early hours of the morning.

The head of janitorial division peeked his head into the Great Hall.

"Oh dear...what a great mess...it's worse than I expected..."

The celebration had indeed created a very big mess, but this was to be expected. After all, these men had just gone two months without having any kind of fun at all.

Gonzo returned to his newly designated barracks. These beds were in a different part of the castle grounds than the trainee barracks and were significantly better. They were more comfortable, they did not smell, and weren't as cramped.

_"Maybe Mael will be happy to hear about that..."_

Gonzo thought of her as he drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

** Author's Note:**

**Hello everyone! I gotta say, this next chapter is pretty intense. So prepare yourselves, especially for the end! If you guys are enjoying this story, please leave feedback! I wanna hear what you guys like, don't like, etc. You know how it is. With that said, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

Mael awoke, slowly opening her eyes as she did most every morning. She had just awoken from another nightmare. This dream had been recurring for the past two months. The first time this nightmare occurred, she had awoken very abruptly. It was not until Mael was more awake that she realized she was breathing heavily and covered in sweat. These terrors had started so suddenly and it scared her.

It would always start off the same. Mael would be standing in the middle of Kakariko Village. Everything was ablaze. Hideous screams could be heard from all over the town. It was almost as if Kakariko was its own world and Armageddon had come. Grotesque creatures filled the town, attacking each villager. Moblins, Stalfos, and Lizalfos were among the most visible, yet there were many more monsters here as well. For whatever reason, Mael's home village was under attack. _"Why? What have we ever done to anger these monsters so?"_ It was then, after Mael saw all of these creatures, she saw _**him**_. He had long, flowing red hair. His sharp, yellow eyes pierced through the night. He had a long, pointed nose, almost shaped like a bird's beak. Upon his forehead was strapped an orange jewel. As Mael looked at him, a new emotion came over her. She had felt fear before, but nothing like this. It washed over her like a cold stream from Zora's Domain. This "fear" was like a jet black veil that smothered out any kind of light. As she continued staring at him, The King of Evil slowly turned his head, and met her stare. His eyes pierced through her like a sharp dagger. To Mael's horror, an evil smile crept up on his face and then a laugh. A laugh so haunting that she still heard it even when awake. The horse immediately began charging towards her. The last thing Mael would see is the man raising his sword, with the evil smile still on his terrible face. He swung at her and-

She would wake up. That was always how the dream ended. Mael had come to despise the horrid dream. _"Why won't this dream stop? I can't stand it anymore!"_ It frustrated her so much. It always left her with a sick feeling in her stomach. Almost like she was about vomit. Mael had thought about writing to Gonzo about it, but she decided that she shouldn't add anymore stress to him than he was already facing. _"I'll just have to deal with this on my own. I can't rely on him for everything. I must be strong."_

But she hadn't grown used to it. It still scared her. Mael had never really had disturbing dreams before. In fact, she hadn't dreamt much at all before now. _"So why now? By the goddesses, why now?!" _Dark bags had begun to form under her blue eyes. She had started staying up late into the night, for she did not want to face the nightmare. The voice of sleep would call to her and she would fight it. Mael would fight it as long she could, but eventually she could fight no longer. Sleep would take her and she would face that awful man again. Night after night, this would be her plight.

_"Who could he possibly be? I've never seen this man in my life!" _Mael would often ponder as she would go out to buy the local produce from the market. People who saw her would often ask how she was doing, but not for just courteous reasons. They were genuinely concerned for her. She looked tired. She had lost the vibrant aura that had once surrounded her. Mael's family could tell instantly. They would always go to check on her several times a week. Each time they saw her, she looked worse. They had begun talking about it amongst themselves.

"What do you think could be wrong with her?" her father would say.

"She's still just probably taking Gonzo's departure very hard. Just give her some more time, dear." her mother would reply. She didn't believe her own words.  
"By Din! It's been a month now! I know my daughter is stronger than this. Something else has got to be wrong with her."

These were often how the conversations went as they discussed Mael's wellbeing. Many conclusions were often reached, but none could ever hope to line up with what was really happening. If Mael ever told anyone, they would probably end up laughing at her. _"Oh how silly! And here I was thinking something really bad had happened. Mael dear, you shouldn't let a little night terror get to you so." _She often played out the scenario in her head. _"No, they would never understand. __**Never**__." _And so, Mael continued to face this alone.

Today, Mael had received a letter from Gonzo. A smile came upon her face as she began opening it.

"It 's already been two months, hasn't it?" she said to herself. She began reading the letter.

_"To my dearest Mael,_

_I am finally a Knight of Hyrule. We had our induction ceremony yesterday. It wasn't too drawn out like I thought it would be, thankfully. We had a great celebration afterwards, too. Senza definitely had fun with that." _

Mael softly giggled at that. "Oh, Senza." She continued reading.

_"The celebration went late into the night. As you know, I'm not a big partier, but I stayed the whole time. It was fun, I suppose. Something kept bothering me the whole time, though. I still can't quite shake it either. It was something the King said at our induction ceremony. I don't know why, but he told us 'Dark times are ahead of us'."_ Mael stopped for a moment. She re-read those words several times. She then began reading again, almost frantically.

_"I don't know what he meant. It worries me. Dearly. I'd like to think I'm just over thinking it and that it was just something any king would tell his new soldiers, but I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen. I find it hard to sleep at night because of it. The thoughts won't leave me. I hope you are doing well. Remember, I love you. _

_Yours always, _

_Gonzo"_

Mael slowly lifted her hand to her mouth to cover any scream that might escape her lips. She could not fathom any words. Nothing came to her. She felt she wanted to cry, but she could not. She felt she wanted to scream, but she could not. She could not do anything. No emotion would come to her. She was frozen.

Off within the distance, an army was moving forth towards Kakariko Village. Ganondorf smiled to himself.

"_**The time has come, Hyrule."**_


End file.
